


Moving On

by BookWyrm07



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternative universe ghost story, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28987254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookWyrm07/pseuds/BookWyrm07
Summary: "I'm not dying for you." Was the biggest lie Theo ever told.Distraught with grief and unable to stand the idea of losing anyone else Scott moves his living pack into a secure new house where they can watch out for each other. Liam never expected the dead to move in, too.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 74





	Moving On

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this beautiful art work
> 
> https://imjustafangirl-nobodylovesme.tumblr.com/post/189769440197/caput-mortuum

Liam slumped in the back of the Jeep. This had to be one of Scott's dumber ideas. He was sure it ranked up with the time the alpha had kidnapped him, but he couldn't talk him out of it. Stiles couldn't even do that.

"Scott, are you sure about this?" Stiles looked nervous. He fidgeted while he drove. "All of us living in one spot feels like putting a target on our backs. They already shot up your old house."

Scott shook his head. "My old house didn't have a security system hand picked by Argent, motion sensor outside lights, a fireproof panic room or hidden escape tunnels. The hunters won't catch us like they did before, or like they did the Hales." Liam could smell his guilt and grief.

"How exactly are you paying for all that?"

"I'm not. Peter gave it to Malia. He paid for everything and put it in her name."

"It wasn't your fault, Scott. Monroe is to blame for what happened at the hospital," Stiles said quietly.

Liam tensed. His stomach flipped. Images from the fight at the hospital filled his mind, strong arms pulling him into the elevator, their last kiss in the elevator, Theo on the floor. Blood. No. He didn't want to think about that. 

"I let us get separated," Scott insisted. "I asked Theo to go get Liam. He wouldn't have been there. I should have kept better tabs on Liam. He shouldn't have been there alone." Scott shook his head. "When we split up people get hurt or killed. Allison, Aidan, even Erica and Boyd," Scott's voice broke. It took a moment for him to be able to continue. "Everyone died because we tried to do too much and split up. I won't let that happen again."

"None of it was your fault, Scott. I shouldn't have followed Nolan. Theo would have come after me even if you hadn't asked. He loved me." Liam closed his eyes against the tears and leaned his head on the back of Scott's seat. 

They rode the rest of the way in silence.

\---

Liam's mind raced with everything Theo had said. That one emotion at a time thing was mostly bullshit. Emotions were complicated and he could be happy and scared at the same time. It was what made roller coasters fun. The part about him turning fear to anger was true though. He was more comfortable in anger.

He'd almost lost control, and could have killed Nolan. Theo saved him from that. Theo kept saving him. True, he saved him by knocking him out… did he have to smile like that when he said five times? That hadn't been Theo's usual smile. It was softer. There was none of his usual arrogance in it.

The truck stopped in front of his house. It was dark, empty. His parents were away at a well timed medical conference. They were away from the hunters, though and that was Liam's big concern, but he didn't want to be alone tonight. 

He chewed his lip and looked at Theo. "Want to come in and get cleaned up? My parents aren't here, so they won't hassle you."

Theo nodded. "That sounds good. It probably isn't safe to be alone, anyway."

Once they were showered and put on clean clothes, Theo in borrowed lacrosse shorts, they sat in Liam's room with the curtains closed. The only light came from the tv, and their video game. Their now empty bowls of cereal sat on Liam's desk. 

"Why do I feel so much calmer when you're around?" Liam hadn't meant to say it out loud. It just came out.

Theo shrugged. "It's the opposite for me." 

"So what, I make you angry?" Liam set down his controller and looked at the chimera. 

Theo gave him that soft smile again and licked his lips. "You're frustrating, I'll give you that, but that isn't what I meant. You make me smile, and I haven't smiled for real in years."

"So I make you frustrated and happy?" Liam felt more confused than ever. 

Theo laughed, a soft chuckle. It was the most beautiful sound Liam had ever heard. "Yeah, I guess you do make me happy, little wolf." They were both quiet for a minute. Theo's eyes never left Liam's face. "Can I kiss you?"

Liam blinked in surprise. That isn't what he was expecting to hear. "You'll ask permission to kiss me but not to punch me in the face?"

"Forget I said anything." He shook his head and headed for the door. 

Liam had to use every bit of wolf speed he could to get in front of him before he was out the door. "Wait." He put his hand on Theo's chest and his breath caught. "That wasn't a no. I just think it's funny that you want consent for sex and not for violence."

"Sex without consent is violence." He smiled. "And I asked for a kiss, not sex."

Liam felt his cheeks heat up. "Are you going to kiss me or not?"

"I'm still waiting for enthusiastic, affirmative, consent." Theo crossed his arms and smirked.

"I take back what I said about you making me calm." He glared. "Yes! Is that good enough? I want you to kiss me, dammit." Theo's lips touched his and nothing else mattered.

\---

The house was old, but renovated. Theo had no idea how he got there. He remembered the hospital. He remembered dying. Then there were flashes, Liam attacking Gabe, Scott's house, the pack crying. Something was holding onto him, keeping him here.

He looked around. People, the pack, carried in furniture. There were questions. "Why do you get the big bedroom?" Asked a voice he didn't know. He sounded young.

"Because it's my house, and I'm fucking the alpha. That's two reasons," came Malia's reply. She didn't sound angry. It was just her usual bluntness.

The questions didn't interest him. They weren't why he was here. He drifted to the living room. Stiles and Lydia shared a concerned look while she put physical copies of media on a shelf and he connected the tv and various entertainment devices. 

Scott, the subject of their look, stood at a shelf. He carefully placed an item, spoke softly to it, and moved to the next. There was a small line between him and Scott. Scott's grief Theo guessed. It wasn't strong enough to hold him, but he felt it was important.

Liam appeared in the doorway, and Theo knew his presence was why he was in this house. "You didn't have to leave me sleeping in the Jeep like a baby," the beta grumbled. "I should have been helping."

"I'm sorry, Liam," Scott said without looking away from the shelf. 

Theo watched Liam scan over the items: on the lower shelf a shiny black motorcycle helmet, leaned against its side a photo of two identical teens on identical bikes with helmets exactly like this one in their hands, a beret like the ROTC kids wore, V. Boyd stitched on the back, a small silver keychain with a medical symbol on one side "Erica Reyes Epilepsy" on the other. The shelf above it had a silver arrowhead, a line of photo booth pictures of Scott and a pretty brunette, then the key to Theo's truck. Liam didn't look any farther. He slammed the door and ran upstairs. 

Stiles looked around the tv and asked, "What just happened?"

Lydia shook her head and turned to leave, but froze facing the doorway. Her eyes locked on Theo's. 

"Can you see me?" he asked. She pursed her lips and walked through him, shuddering. "You can, and you can hear me." She walked away but Theo saw her clench her jaw.

Theo followed her. "Talk to me, Lydia."

"No!" She whispered through gritted teeth. "The last time I talked to the ghost of an asshole that hit me, I ended up poisoning my friends and bringing the psycho back to life. Fuck off." She stomped into the bedroom and slammed the door in his face.

Theo growled, then walked through the door. "Ghost, remember? Closed doors won't stop really me. I just want your help with one thing, then I'll leave you alone."

She didn't look at him. She grabbed a set of light blue sheets and spread the fitted one over the bare mattress.

"I bet I can be more annoying than you can ignore." He loudly hummed It's A Small World while she made the bed. She didn't look at him. "I'm just getting started here. I will follow you everywhere. You won't have an ounce of peace or privacy. I will sing, stare and make comments on everything you do. It will definitely get weird when you and Stiles have sex, but I'll stick it out. I could grade his technique or whatever stupid face he makes when he comes."

She turned and glared at him. "We could see how a ghost reacts to a banshee scream."

Theo nodded. "We could, or you could hear me out and if you don't want to help I'll leave you alone."

She crossed her arms. "You have one minute."

"You saw Liam out there. Help me help him. That's all I want."

Lydia's face softened. She sighed and nodded. "I'll help Liam." 

\---

Liam yanked open the drawer. Cooking utensils. He slammed it shut. He pulled open another. Zip bags and foil. He slammed that one, too. He pulled the cupboard door open so hard it clanged against the wall. Cereal. Tea. He slammed the door shut, but it bounced back open.

The light came on. He jumped and spun to see his pack. They looked annoying, confused and a little scared in their pajamas. Scott looked more like a zombie than an alpha. His skin had a grey tone and Liam wondered if he'd been asleep at all. 

Shame turned Liam's cheeks red. He didn't make eye contact. The cupboard door stopped moving. He closed it. "Well, this isn't disturbing at all," Stiles quipped.

"Sorry." Liam slumped. "I couldn't sleep. I was looking for the hot chocolate. I didn't mean to wake you."

Lydia smiled wide and reassuringly. "Anyone else want some hot chocolate?"

"Lydia?" Mason asked. He looked at her and around the kitchen like he was missing something.

"I've got this. You guys go get some sleep, unless you want some hot chocolate, too." She got out a mug and the box of coco mix. It was in the next cupboard over.

The pack dispersed, muttering goodnight and leaving Lydia alone with Liam. They sat at the table and she put the steaming mug in front of him. "Thanks," he said. The warmth felt good on his hands. He was so cold all the time. It tasted like nothing. "All this fuss and waking everyone and I'm too fucking depressed to even taste it."

Lydia gave him a sad smile. "We all know what you've lost, Liam. It's going to take time to process, grieve and accept everything."

"I know anger is supposed to be normal when grieving, and with my issues I should expect more, but I didn't expect the dreams." He stared into the creamy brown liquid.

"Nightmares, about the hospital?"

"I expected those. I had those kinds of dreams after the berserkers. No, these are... different." He chewed at his bottom lip. "It's like I'm reliving stuff. Tonight it was when Scott pulled me out of bed and convinced me to go to school and be Clark Kent, but usually it's about…"

"Theo?"

He nodded and closed his eyes. "It's so vivid. I can smell him, feel his arms around me, taste him when we kiss. Then I wake up and everything is muted, gray. I can barely even smell anything."

"The only way to get past depression is to continue to process." Her voice was gentle and encouraging. "No loss is exactly the same. No one but you can know exactly what you're feeling, but I have lost people I love. You can talk to me." 

"Talk about Theo?"

"And the hospital."

He closed his eyes. The smells of blood and gun smoke filled the air. Theo laid on the cold tile floor in a pool of his own blood. Blank, empty green eyes stared at nothing.

Rage built in the pit of Liam's stomach. He opened his eyes, growled and threw the mug. It shattered against the wall. Cooling chocolate splashed everywhere. 

"Sorry," Liam said, his voice thick with shame. "I'm not ready." He ran.

\--

Theo stood in the hallway. Tara crawled toward him, her chest an open, dripping ruin. He knew what was coming. She would pull him to the ground and take back her heart, but that isn't what happened this time. A blade stabbed down from the ceiling. He was suddenly buried. 

Dirt pressed into him from all sides. It filled his ears and nose. He kept his mouth shut so he wouldn't choke. He climbed, claws on dirt. His lungs burned for all the breaths he couldn't take. A solid wall blocked his way. He punched through it. Fresh air hit his hand, then the rest of him as he pulled himself up.

An angel stood in front of him. He looked angry and uncertain and held a sword. 

He fell out of the memory.

Being a ghost was weird. Theo could be consumed by his past. It felt different than a flashback. He had plenty of those when he was alive and they were more like waking nightmares. He knew it wasn't the present as it was happening. These felt like living through the event all over again, but with all his senses on overdrive. 

Other times, being a ghost was extremely boring. There just wasn't a whole lot to do when you could only talk to one person, and she hated you, so he stayed close to Liam. The beta couldn't sense him, but it felt better just to be with him.

Theo watched Liam lean against a bookshelf. Stiles, Corey, and the new kid were positioned around the living room. "Look at the facts," Mason said, as he paced. "The lights flicker for no reason." 

Theo waved his hand into the wall next to the switch and made the lights blink a few times. The new kid squeaked, and while the dead couldn't smell anything, Theo imagined he smelled a little like pee. 

Mason visibly swallowed then kept going. "Objects move without any of us touching them. Then there's Lydia." He turned to Stiles. "Has she said anything to you?"

Stiles sat on the arm of the couch, his arms crossed over his chest as he bit at his thumbnail. "You mean about her talking to people who aren't there? No. I'm only her boyfriend. Why should she mention that to me? You forgot the floating cold spots, by the way."

Liam rolled his eyes. "This is stupid. If there was something going on Lydia would say so. You guys are freaking out over a drafty old house with shity wiring."

"Maybe Lydia is possessed. How do you fight a pack member that's been possessed?" the new kid asked, his voice high and scared.

"Lydia is a banshee, Alec. I don't think she can be possessed, besides, been there, done that. It looks nothing like this," Stiles dismissed. "This looks more like she's protecting someone."

"Scott," Liam whispered. 

"She's not the only one protecting him," Mason said. "It's why we waited for him, Malia and Lydia to go grocery shopping."

Stiles shrugged. "He's still coming to terms with his grief. Talking about how his new house is haunted-"

"It's not haunted!" Liam interrupted.

"Possibly even by a dead pack member he thinks he should have been able to save. He wouldn't take it well," Stiles finished.

"So what's our next move?" Corey asked.

"Getting Scott into therapy," Liam suggested.

"We make contact," Mason answered, glancing at Liam. Stiles nodded. 

"There's nothing to make contact with." Liam threw the object closest to his hand, which happened to be his lacrosse helmet, and stormed out of the room.

\---

Liam laid his head on Theo's shoulder. He took a deep breath of his scent and ran a hand over his smooth broad chest. He was nicely sore, and content. Theo's arm tightened around his back, hand on hip and held him tighter. They pressed together, skin on skin the length of their bodies.

"Sorry, I woke you," Liam whispered.

Theo kissed the top of Liam's head. "You didn't."

They laid in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the feel and scent of each other. Liam studied Theo's face. His eyes were closed. Stubble spread over his jaw. "How long have you had feelings for me?" he asked.

Theo studied the younger man in his arms, then pulled him on top. Liam straddled his waist, and Theo ran his fingers through his light dusting of chest hair. "I was attracted to you from the beginning, but I didn't know it was more than physical until you brought me back."

Liam grinned. He slid back until he felt how excited Theo was to have him in this position. He bit his lip, then smiled. "Liar. You declared your love for me after I threatened to punch you in the balls when we were still figuring out who The Beast was."

Theo laughed and took hold of Liam's ass. "I definitely declared my love for you in front of my psychotic girlfriend and your alpha. There's no chance at all I was just being sarcastic."

"Nope. No chance at all." Liam rocked his hips. They smiled and kissed. As their smiles softened, their kiss and their need grew until their laughter was replaced by moans.

\---

The dreams still made Liam restless, but after the hot chocolate indecent he tried very hard not to wake anyone, so he paced his room, or stared out the window and waited for the sounds of movement in the rest of the house. The sound of voices just after midnight startled him.

"Keep it down. We don't want to wake Scott," Stiles said.

"I got the candles," Mason whispered.

"Is that, seriously the board you got? It's a toy," Stiles rebuked in a harsh whisper.

"Ages eight plus," Corey laughed.

Liam's curiosity and restlessness got the better of him. He looked over the rail of the stairs and saw the three young men with Alec sitting around the coffee table. Lit candles sat at each corner and in the center was a Ouija board. 

Anger flared. How far were they going to take this? "You guys are wasting your time," he snarled.

Stiles handed Alec a notepad and pen. "Keep track of everything they tell us." The young werewolf nodded. Stiles turned back to Mason and Corey. "Let's do this." They sat. Each put their fingertips on the edge of the flanchet.

"I can't believe you're going along with this, Mason." Liam crossed his arms, standing over them.

Mason looked pained. He closed his eyes and whispered, too low for human ears. "Please, Liam."

Liam sat back on the couch.

Stiles took a deep breath. "If you move this on your own I will spike your drinks with enough laxative to make you wish you were dead. Alec, Corey I know how much wolfsbane to include to make it stick." 

Corey giggled. "Isn't the point of laxatives for it not to stick?"

Before Stiles could reply it moved. A hard jerk took it to the letter S. They stopped talking and watched it spell out. H-U-T-U-P.

"You want me to shut up?" Stiles asked. "Why don't you tell us who you are?"

T-H-E-O

"Not funny." Liam glared at his friends.

"How do we know it's really you?" Stiles asked. 

The irony wasn't lost on Liam. "It isn't him, Stiles. I'm betting it was Corey."

N-O-T-A-G-A-I-N-S-T-I-L-E-S-E-Y-E-R-O-L-L

"That was too long. I got lost." Corey blushed.

"It said 'not again, Stiles. Eye roll.'" Stiles shook his head. "That sounds like him."

"So, why are you here?" Mason asked.

H-E-C-A-N-T-A-C-C-E-P-T-I-T

"He can't accept it," Alec read.

"You mean Scott?" Stiles asked.

The flanchet flicked up to "No" then over to "Yes"

L-I

Rage exploded in Liam. He couldn't watch this anymore. He slapped the flanchet one way and threw the board in the other, then stomped back up the stairs.

\---

Liam closed his eyes. He knew he was going to die. Strong arms grabbed him from behind, and pulled. The elevator doors closed. Bullets ricocheted. He looked at his boyfriend, his savior. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just asking myself the same question." Theo took off his beanie. He pulled Liam to him in a tight hug, and spoke into his neck. "I'm not dying for you."

"Then why did you fight the ghost riders alone?"

"They weren't killing people. They were taking them." Theo ran his fingers through Liam's hair. "I figured if the world forgot me it was no big deal, but I couldn't stand the thought of forgetting you."

The words hit Liam like a physical force. Forgetting Theo would mean losing a part of his soul he didn't know existed. He didn't know how to say it. There weren't words that could make Theo understand. He leaned forward and kissed his beautiful, damaged love. He put all his emotions, all his need, everything he had into the kiss and hoped Theo could feel it.

"Let's fight together this time."

\---

Liam pulled himself awake. He didn't want to think about what happened after that. Theo on the floor in a pool of blood. He shook the image from his head and got up. 

The hall was quiet. The only sound was murmured voices coming from far away. He followed them to the kitchen. 

Scott sat at the table, his eyes focused on an untouched mug in front of him. "I can't stop thinking about it."

Lydia sat across from him. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Obsessing won't change what happened."

Scott sighed. "I know, but that doesn't stop my brain from going over it again, from trying to figure out how I could have done things differently. I wish I could just forget it all."

Lydia's eyes flicked over to Liam. "Denial won't help either. You need to process and accept it."

Liam leaned against the kitchen counter, and crossed his arms. "I've accepted what happened to Theo. Just because I don't want to talk or think about it doesn't mean I haven't accepted it."

"If I had been there-" Scott started.

Lydia interrupted, "That is a toxic line of thinking, Scott."

"Besides," Liam reassured, "if you had been at the hospital the Anuk-ita would have been causing terror, and the hunters wouldn't have stood down when they did. A lot more people would have died."

Lydia gave Liam a sad smile. To Scott she said, "Go over the events. No analyzing, just stick to the facts we know."

Scott closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Liam followed Nolan into a trap at the hospital. Before the trap was sprung he called Mason and Corey for help. After they arrived Gerard called me to gloat that everyone was going to die." He swallowed and took another shaky breath. "Hunters killed both Theo and Liam."

Liam gaped at his alpha. Why was he saying that? Panic hit Liam like a physical force. He looked at Lydia. She wouldn't meet his eyes. Three steps took him to the doorway to the living room. His eyes focused on Scott's memorial shelf: Allison's arrowhead, Theo's keys, and his lacrosse helmet.

\---

The elevator doors opened, and they fought the hunters in perfect sync. Their every movement complimented each other. When they stopped for a breath they heard Nolan's warning. They ran. Theo put himself between Liam and the gun.

Shots rang out. The smell of blood and gun smoke filled the air. Gabe stopped shooting to reload. Liam turned. Theo lay on the floor, his back a red ruin. Blood pooled under him. Green eyes that once sparkled were dull. 

Rage turned his vision red. He howled his grief and charged. Gabe got the rifle up in time to protect his throat. Bullets came from the side, ripping through both him and the hunter. He ignored the pain his rage wanted to kill Gabe before the bullets did. Then it was black.

\---

Theo watched the way Scott's words hit Liam. Confusion turned to realization then he looked at the shelf and disappeared. "I think we finally got through to him," he said to Lydia. 

She ignored him, but he didn't care. Liam was finally coming to terms with his death. Liam blinked back into view.

"Are you finally able to hear me?"

"Theo?" Liam hugged him. He felt solid and real in his arms. "When did you get here?"

"I've been here the whole time, trying to get through to you." Theo touched his lips to Liam's. He felt the connection between them stronger than ever. In all of existence, this boy in his arms was the only thing that mattered.

Liam pulled back, his hand against Theo's cheek. "How come you knew and I didn't?"

Theo shrugged. "I got shot in the back, and had time to realize I was dying. You didn't."

A sob drew their attention to the table. Scott had his head in his hands crying. Liam went to him, knelt next to him. "I'm okay, Scott."

Theo put a hand on his shoulder. "He can't hear you, Liam. None of them can, except Lydia."

Liam blinked in surprise. All his interactions with the pack since they had moved in reshaped in his head. He looked at Lydia. "Does he know I'm here?" 

She moved to sit next to Scott, shook her head slightly and put a hand on his back.

"She thinks telling him will only make him feel worse, so she hasn't told anyone," Theo explained.

Liam bit his lip. "I know what he needs to hear, how to get through to him. Just like when Kate tried to turn him into a berserker. I was the only one who could help him then, too." 

Lydia didn't look convinced.

"Please, Lydia, tell Scott, I don't regret my choices, and he shouldn't either. Maybe I should have gotten help when I first followed Nolan-"

"Maybe?" Snorted Theo.

Liam shot his boyfriend a small glare. "But I always did what I thought was best to save lives, just like Scott. We did our best, and he needs to keep doing his best. He can't keep the pack locked up in this house or more people will die. It's his turn to be Clark Kent."

Lydia took a deep breath. "Scott, remember that I'm a banshee, and death is kind of my thing." He looked at her in confusion, eyes rimmed red. "Liam's here and there's some things he's really insistent that I tell you." 

She repeated everything Liam said, and when she told Scott it was his turn to be Clark Kent it looked like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. 

"Be Clark Kent." Scott nodded. The lines Theo felt though himself and though Liam that held them to Scott broke. 

"Thank you, Lydia."

She smiled with tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

Theo held out his hand. Liam took it, and together they went on to whatever comes next.


End file.
